Load-indicator.



No. 695,890. Patented Mar. I8, I902.

M. F. SINCLAIR.

LOAD INDICATOR.

(Application filed Nov. 18, 1901.)

(No Model.)

W airman UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILLARD l5. SINCLAIR, OF OKOLONA, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOF; OF ONE-HALF TMACK F. HARBOUR, OF OKOLONA, MISSISSIPPI.

LOAD-INDICATOR.

PECIEICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 695,890, dated March18, 1902 Application filed November 18, 1901. Serial No. 82,743. (Nomodel.)

To mi /I "1171/0121! it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILLARD F. SINCLAIR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Okolona, in the county of Chickasaw and State or"Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Load-Indicator, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to load-indicators, and is particularly adaptedfor application to freight-cars, so as to plainly and accuratelyindicate the weight of the load thereon to prevent overloading of thecar and also to dispense with track-scales. It is furthermore designedto mount the indicating-dial upon the body of the car in such a positionthat it may be conveniently read when standing upon the ground and alsoto provide improved means for actuating the indicating mechanism by thedownward movement of the car-body under the in licence of the loadthereon.

IVith these and other objects in view the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of arailway-car having the improved indicator applied thereto. Fig. 2 is aninverted plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of theoperative connection between the spring-plank of the adjacent car-truckand the indicating device.

Fig. lis a detail perspective view of the bracket for the support of theindicator-dial.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures or" the drawings.

To illustrate the application of the invention, there has been shown anordinary cartruck 1, having the usual spring-plank 2, the coiled springs3, mounted upon the springplank, and the truck-bolster 1, supported uponthe springs, so as to yield therewith.

Upon the truck-bolster is mounted an ordinary body-bolster 5, which inturn supports the bottom or bed 6 of the car. It will of course beunderstood that these parts are common and well known and have beenshown merely to illustrate the mounting of the present indicator and themanner of actuating the same.

In carrying out. the present invention there is provided a dial 7, whichis hung from one of the side sills of the bed of the car and locatedadjacent to one of the car-trucks. For the support of this dial there isprovided a bracket consisting of an attaching-plate 8, which is securedto the under side of the sill and is'provided with front and rearpendent arm portions 9 and 10, the dial being carried upon the outerside of the front arm. A shaft or journal 11 has its opposite endsmounted in the arms of the bracket, and a pointer or indicator 12 iscarried by the outer end of the journal and cooperates with the dial.Upon an intermediate portion of the shaft or journal there is provided apinion 13.

For actuating the pointer or indicator there is provided a rock-bar 14,which is journaled in suitable bearings 15 upon a pair of the sills ofthe bottom or bed of the car. Upon the outer end portion of the rock-barthere is provided a crank-arm 16, having a segmental 8o gear or arcuaterack 17, carried by its outer end and in mesh with the pinion 13. Theopposite end of the rock-bar is provided with a orank-arm 18, extendingin approximately the same direction as the crank 16, or, in other words,toward the body-bolster. A suitable laterally-projected bracket 19 iscarried by the spring-plank 2, which is relatively fixed with respect tothe car-truck, and a link 20 has its opposite ends pivotally connectedto go the bracket and the inner crank-arm 18 of the rock-shaft.

It will be understood that as the car is being loaded the weight of theload will force the car-body downwardly against the resistance of thesprings 3, whereby through the medium of the link 20 the rock-bar willbe rocked and the segmental gear or rack 17, meshing with the pinion 13,will actuate the shaft 11, and thereby turn the pointer or inroe dicatorwhich cooperates with the dial to indicate the weight of the load uponthe carbody.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that'the present indicatormay be applied to any ordinary railway-car without requiring any changein any of the parts thereof and Without interfering with the yieldingmovement of the car-body upon the trucks. Also in order that thecar-truck may turn upon its king-bolt without breaking any of theconnecting parts of the indicator the connection between the link 20 andthe crankarm 18 should be suficiently loose to prevent binding of thelink upon the crank-arm when the car is rounding a curve.

What I claim is The combination with a car trnck having a spring-plank,and a car-body yieldably supported upon the truck, of a load-indicatorcomprising a dial hung from the bottom of the car and at one sidethereof, a rotatable pointer or index .for the dial, a bracket connectedto the car and supporting the dial, a pinion journaled in the bracketand operatively connected to the pointer or index, a rock-shaft mountedupon the bottom of the car and provided at opposite ends with crankarms,a segmentalrack or gear carried by one of the crank-arms and in meshWith the pinion, a bracket carried by the spring-plank, and a linkconnection between the bracket and the other crank-arm.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MILLARD F. SINCLAIR.

itn esses:

Z. T. HARPER, H. BEALL.

